LUPIS KETAN (INDONESIAN STICKY RICE CAKE) – VEGAN DESSERT

This are one of my favourite snack, it is sticky, savoury with mellow sweetness. And the versatility of this dishes also on point, like I can enjoy it as breakfast, afternoon snacking, or when I want something light for dinner.

Even though I have to admit, this snack may look just humble and simple dish to make, in fact just few ingredient you need. To craft it, need little sometime and patient, but maybe it is just for me *sigh hehe, I do give a lot of love while cooking this snack but I need to develop my patience *sigh.

Back in my home country I don’t bother to make this snack, it is abundant, I can buy it anywhere, from cheap street vendor version to the fancy gourmet version. My husband are just crazy about this snack, he can eat it a lot, so when I manage to cook of his sweet favourite snack he just beyond happy, he does actually not really into sweet, just like me.

To craft it, you need to wrap the cake with banana leaves, and form it into triangle. My trick is to soften the banana leaves, so it wont crisp as it hard to manage if the banana leave is crisp. To soften the banana leaves, put it in top of hot pot lid, you can boiling water in a pot with lid on, then put the banana leaves on top of the lid.

NOW how to craft it into triangle shape, well it took me a while to figure it out. First cut the banana leaves 10-15cm in width, the bigger the width the bigger the cake going to be. And then in the middle length of the banana leave, twist the leave, it figuratively will form triangle, with extra leaves in the top, this extra leaves later on are going to be the cover to secure the cake, so it wont spill it out during the cooking process.

Now lets go craft it, trust me, it worth every second;

LUPIS KETAN (GLUTINOUS RICE CAKE)

Serve 12 medium size of cake

INGREDIENT

2 cup glutinous rice

2/3 cup thick coconut milk

2/3 cup water

1/3 cup shredded coconut flake (I used the dried one)

1 tsp sea salt

5 tbs shredded coconut flake (put it in small bowl, steam together with the glutinous rice cake)

Banana leaf to wrap

Tooth pick to pin the banana leave

The caramelise brown sugar sauce:

100 gram brown sugar

3 tbs water

HOW TO

In medium pan with heave bottom, put the top 5 ingredient together and cooked in medium heat, keep an eye on it, since the mixture are easy to get burn. Keep stir until all the liquid are absorb then take it out from heat and leave it cool (the cooking process actually still continue and make the sticky rice clumpy in a texture).

Cut the banana leaves 10-15cm in width (the bigger you cut the bigger the cake). In the middle length of banana leaves form triangle pocket (I know, need a lil bit of patience but you will get there ;)), fill the pocket with the rice mixture and gently press the cake. After the cake are safely nesting in the pocket, close the pocket with the extra banana leave and secure it with tooth pick. Trust me it is naturally will form triangle ;). Then steam it for at least 45 minute with medium heat. Also steam extra shredded coconut flake to serve later.

To serve, make a caramelize brown sugar (100 gram brown sugar add with 3tbs water, cooked it in low heat until dissolve and become runny thick sauce).
In a plate, open the cake one or two, sprinkle with warm coconut flake and drizzle it with the brown sugar sauce.